North Augusta scored 43 points in the second half against Midland Valley to break loose from a 25-25 tie at halftime and stay undefeated for the season with a 68-55 victory in front of a frantic crowd inside Jacket Arena Friday.
“The key to victory tonight was in the second half when we made a lot of shots,” North Augusta head coach Tony Harrell said after the win. “In the first half we were very stagnant on offense… we had a big first quarter. Not so much in the second quarter. We came out in the third quarter on fire. We got the lead, and we were able to hold the lead.”
During the third quarter North Augusta scored 23 points and almost matched its output during the entire first half. The Yellow Jackets made 4 of their 5 total three pointers during the third period. 6’3” sophomore DaRon Dunbar made 2 three pointers during the third, and he scored all 15 of his points after halftime. 6’4” senior Maliq Richards also scored 15 points in the game, as he and Dunbar led the Jackets in scoring. Senior Elijah Hall also chipped in 13 points, and nine Yellow Jackets scored from North Augusta’s deep roster.
The Yellow Jackets also got a significant amount of help from the capacity crowd and the school’s well known student section, which stood right next to the right wing where threes rained down during their team’s pivotal third quarter run. North Augusta outscored Midland Valley 23-12 during the period to take a double-digit lead into the final quarter.
MORE: Previewing tonight’s North Augusta-Midland Valley first place showdown
“This atmosphere was electric. Our home fans were outstanding,” Harrell raved. “They did a great job of keeping us in the game when things weren’t going well, and we were able to pull it out in the end.”
The win marked the eighteenth time in twenty-one games this season that the undefeated Yellow Jackets won by more than 10 points. So with only four region games and one non-region contest against No. 4 Keenan (class 2A) remaining, fans might add “can they go undefeated” for the season to the questions about what the No. 1 ranked team in class 4A might be able to accomplish.
But bitter rivals Aiken (1-3), South Aiken (1-3) and of course Midland Valley (3-1) will all have one more chance each to ruin any such notion.
Friday’s loss was the first in region play for Midland Valley (13-5, 3-1). Seniors Justin Lloyd (18 points) and Desmond Evans (14), and sophomore Antwone Bates (13) led the way for the Mustangs.
Midland Valley is poised to lock in a top two-seed in the state playoffs, which brings with it at least one playoff game at home. But the Mustangs will surely be more focused on winning out and challenging for the region championship. The final obstacle in such a path would come on the final day of the regular season, February 7, when North Augusta will visit Midland Valley.
If the Yellow Jackers and Mustangs win out until that point, the regular season finale will be as highly anticipated as the game that fans were treated to Friday night.
Follow Chad Cook’s coverage of local sports on Facebook and Instagram at @AugustaPressSports, and on Twitter at @AugPressSports.
